## NOTES ON A TELEGRAM FROM V. M. SVERDLOV

AND A MEMORANDUM TO GLAVUGOL'

... in the course of four months after the mines were abandoned by the Whites, not only has nothing been done to increase coal reserves in open-cast and underground workings, but owing to the inexperience of those in charge, the reserves which constitute the main sources of extraction will be completely exhausted within the next one or two months, and I consider it impossible to reduce underground work to the required productive capacity of 1,500 thousand [puds] per month. Likewise, nothing has been done even for the most primitive equipment of open-cast operations, the construction of housing for workers, the supply of workers with necessary clothing, or fodder for horses — things that can be accomplished here without particular difficulty. The technical and administrative personnel of the Chelyabinsk district has until recently consisted of three young Urals *steiger* with very little experience, and only by order of the Uralo-Siberian Commission on the 20th of this December was engineer Yakovlev, sent by the NKPS, added to their number. Turning to the facts, I note: coal hidden in the overburden amounts to 3,000 thousand puds. ... the district administration has drawn up estimates for uncovering in the coming year by means of overburden removal 25 million puds of coal, for which it will be necessary to remove 135 thousand cubic *sazhens* of rock, or daily 900 cubic *sazhens*; work of this kind will require excavators with a productive capacity of 150 cubic *sazhens* per day, together with brigades and engineers thoroughly familiar with the organization of excavation. On site there are 4 excavators, with a total productive capacity of 450 cubic *sazhens* per day; there is still needed 1 construction engineer, 1 coal mining engineer...

NB to Glavugol': I request that you return this to me with a R E P O R T on what has been done to provide assistance from here.

Lenin

Written January 4, 1920

First published in 1933

in *Lenin Collection* XXIV

Printed from the manuscript